Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as, for example, personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductor layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.
In order to process semiconductor devices, wafers on which the semiconductor devices are formed are transferred between various processing machines. During the transfer process, the wafers are secured in transport devices or pods. The wafers are moved from the transport pods to the processing machines using load ports, which automatically remove the wafers from the transport pods into the processing machines. Thus, the wafers are protected from exposure to contaminants, which might damage the semiconductor devices formed thereon.